MAYBE IT'S TIME TO LEAVE

The Christian story is anchored in the ancient story of Abraham, a story of leaving everything that was familiar and going to the place God would show him. Hebrews 11 commends Abraham and others for this type of faith: a trust in God that anchored them in reality and moved them toward the unseen possibilities that He was calling them to.

It seems like living and leading in the way of Jesus is filled with leaving and going. The disciples left their nets. The paralytic left the pool of Bethesda that had been his home for 38 years. Zacchaeus left his cheating ways. Even Jesus himself left his life as the carpenter’s son at the Jordan River, to start his earthly ministry.

What might God be stirring you to leave in this season? Is it time to leave your job? If you’ve read anything about the great resignation you know the numbers are staggering and it’s still happening. On average, 4 million Americans are quitting their jobs each month in 2022. People are leaving in droves.

Maybe it’s not the land of your vocation that He is calling you to leave. There are other places we live…the lands we have become accustomed to, familiar in, and where we feel at home. Maybe it’s time to leave…

The Land of Unforgiveness
Is God calling you to leave the bitterness and resentment that you’ve made your home in and go to the place He wants to show us? I think God says, “I can help you have a trust in Me that doesn’t deny your reality – but rather anchors you further in who I am and who I say you are. I can give you a sense of confidence as you move into a new land.”

The Land of Apathy
Is God calling you to leave lethargy and indifference that you’ve become accustomed to at work or home? Hatred and revenge are not the worst enemies of Love. Apathy is. St Ignatius called it tepidity. “Tepidity, tediousness, boredom, indifference, lethargy…none of these feelings are from the true spirit of God. This state is far more distressing than the state of being at odds with God.” For being at odds with God still requires passion.

The Land of Self Reliance
Is God calling you to leave your familiarity with everything hinging on your ability, intelligence, and charisma as a leader? This is a land where fear and worry abound because the weight of everything being up to you is exhausting. We weren’t created to handle it all. it’s not up to you. Did you know, “Fear not,” is written 365 times in scripture. Maybe He is calling you to fear not today and leave the land of your own making.

Think and pray
Those are only a few lands that we can get comfortable in and settle for rather than trusting God that He has a better home for us. I encourage you to take some time today to consider if He’s calling you to leave the Land of Scorekeeping, the Land of Victimhood, the Land of Superiority or wherever you’ve been residing.

Lord, give me a trust in You that anchors me in reality and moves me toward the unseen possibilities that You are calling me to. Amen.

Darrel Harvey, Director of the Workmatters Institute, joined the Workmatters team in March of 2019. Before joining the Workmatters team, his vocation had been expressed as a church planter, pastor, mentor, entrepreneur, and as a connector in the Bentonville business community.